For the Love of Shirley!

I like to think everyone has the same experience of wonderful discovery upon their first introduction to Shirley Temple. It's as though you alone have stumbled across the very embodiment of happiness in the form of a little girl with curls. The experience stays with you always as a most magical moment.

For me it was Sunday's after church. I would hang over the front seat of our white Behemoth willing my father's foot to stay pressed down on the accelerator instead of his usual up and down movement that caused the car to lurch along the road. "Dad pleeeeaaassseee get me home by noon. I can't miss the Shirley Temple matinee on television!

It didn't matter that I was years older than the golden curled moppet, or live in a penthouse, or be expected to unite waring factions by the end of a second reel; it was that no matter the situation, this kid had moxie.

A "Can Do" attitude in the face of any hardship. This became a personality trait I wanted for myself, one I also saw everyday in my own mother who was a child of the Great Depression. "Don't Have/ Make Do", "Ask Not/ Want Not", "I'll Show'em, you bet I will!"

By chance a book sticking farther out from other nearby spines in my local library happened to be this most wonderful book I just had to share in the hopes others have just as strong memories of this same discovery. (Shirley Temple, A Pictorial History of the World's Greatest Film Star)

Imagine the lucky little girl who owned her own Shirley Temple doll with a trunk filled with clothes matching the ones seen in her movies.

I love that the Ideal Toy Company produced the Shirley doll in sizes for different budgets. She always came with an official Shirley Temple button that could be worn by the little girl herself.

Little girls begged their mother's to sew dresses for them just like their film idol. The Cinderella Dress Company began producing a line of Ready to Wear to meet every little girl's dream to be just like Shirley.

Moxie! That's what this little girl had to embody to maintain her composure under such attention and expectation. It seems Shirley had the grounding love of adoring parents and two much older brothers. She was not allowed to be a "Star" at home!

She would leave the film industry to raise her own family becoming Mrs. Shirley Temple Black, receding from the spotlight until her children were grown. She would re-enter national awareness as the first public person to share with others her winning battle with breast cancer. From the cover of Life magazine her moxie showed through, "If I can speak the C word out loud, so can you!"

I suppose Shirley Temple was a childhood hero for me. I know that I am a better person for having been influenced by her truly good heart. My husband would have the honor on several occasions to meet her in her role as Ambassador to Ghana during the Regan administration. He described his time with her just as I imagined it would be, "Her smile made you feel as though you had always known her."

A Place for Youthful Memories

I didn't know days spent with my cousin Sandra would be of the endless type where molecules of moments are tinged with the golden glow of summer's promise of hoped for maturity before the cooling of evenings bring the reminder of a new school year.  A late in life child spoiled as only they can be, Sandra wore about herself casual confidence born of expected attention. To be in her company was to be in a special place unknown to me. Sandra was popular.

Mornings beginning at our own choosing, biscuits with honey on Miss America Hobnail, North Carolina greetings from Aunt Mildred as musical notes to my ears. Swim Team practice go along, a new bathing suit in my Tourister luggage, an afternoon with Sandra.

Long legs as red brown as the earth, swimsuit blue as the sky, white cap held for only a moment above the edge of the pool before disappearing longer than I could hold my breath. Colorful triangles glimpsed in the final moments, wall tap cheers for her First Place finish. Time for me before joining her friends.

Push off back flips underneath the lip of the pool, water ballet movements practiced again and again, called out encouragement to let me know I hadn't been forgotten. Peeks over my shoulder at the boys and girls around Sandra hoping for the same kind smile.

Evenings of fire flies and front porch lounging, games of cards on chenille smoothed flat with our palms, late night giggles and admonishments to hush from the next room, a place in the heart for youthful memories to take hold in a shy young girl.

I would begin Ninth Grade red brown as the earth of North Carolina and eyes as blue as a summer sky. I would wear about myself confidence of the new kind, ready to meet new friends who would become the Bobwhites. I would be ready for spend the nights and boy crushes, trendy styles, and new adventures. I would write to Sandra a last time thanking her for letting me stay at the edges of her popularity where I was more comfortable and making sure I felt loved and special our times alone.

Rodeo Girls

Who doesn't love the images of Western ware from the 1950's. I would have loved to be able to wear an outfit as cute as these little cowgirls are wearing.

Pipe Cleaner Dolls are much smaller than Peg Dolls, but oh my gosh are they ever cute in person. Prepainted heads can be found at Michaels and are also smaller than peg doll heads. BODY: A pipe cleaner cut in half and then bent in half is just the right proportion for the body and legs.

SHIRT: Wrap a length of stem around a pencil six times, cut with craft wire cutters. Body is slipped over feet. ARMS: Length of stem from remaining body piece is slipped through coils of shirt. SLEEVES: Wrap length of stem around arm until desired length. HANDS: Bend end of arm stem.

CLOTHES: When making clothes for Pipe Cleaner Dolls, the pieces are so small, a pattern is too difficult to use. I hand cut from felt strips 1" wide and 7/8" wide as a start and trimmed smaller as I fitted the pieces to doll. STITCHING: 2 ply floss, outline stitch through top layer of felt only. ASSEMBLY: Hot glue in place.

BOOTS: Small rectangle with triangle shape in center; small slits made on each side of triangle. ASSEMBLY: Hot Glue triangle shape to "foot" of leg stem. Wrap sides around stem, hot glue in place on back. OPTIONAL: Bottom of boot: hot glue bottom of boot to scrap piece of felt, trim to boot shape. NOTE: if using doll for a trinket box, step not necessary.

HAIR: Rectangle of felt is cut three inches wide and then into thin, even sized strips. Beading needles and one ply floss is woven back and forth through felt strip; a knot in thread is not necessary. Repeat several times to secure felt ribbon. Sixteen strips are needed for Pipe Cleaner Doll's head.

HAT: Also hand cut pieces of felt as shown.  ASSEMBLY: Tacky Glue is used to form felt hat. FRINGE: Length of crepe paper streamer is folded on itself (enough to circle hat). Cut streamer down center lengthwise, layer all cut pieces together, fold in half lengthwise, use a sewing needle and running stitch along folded edge to secure layers together. Make small slits along open edge of crepe entire length. ASSEMBLY: Hot Glue folded edge of fringe to hat edge. Separate fringe with fingers. Hot Glue to head. (Note: top of dolls head does not have hair.)

Clueless Cinco De Mayo

My son, Chris, asked me, "Mom, did you and Dad plan for your anniversary to be on Cinco De Mayo?"  To which I replied, "Oh Chris, it's just a coincidence it falls on Cinco De Mayo this year." To which my son, who is used to his Clueless mother's logic responded, "Mom! Cinco, Five. Your anniversary is always on Cinco de Mayo!"  This was a revelation to me. Who knew!

 And so tomorrow my husband and I will travel to our son's home to celebrate our 33rd Anniversary, and we will revel in the opportunity to have our hearts gladdened by our son's ability to make us laugh. He is one of those rare individuals people will say about, "He was born with a sense of humor."

For our son born two months early this most definitely was the case. He would rub his tiny feet back and forth over the plush of a stuffed animal placed in his incubator and make himself giggle. Once we came to visit and found his incubator empty with a sign attached, "Mom and Dad, I've gone fishing".

Married now two years to his college sweetheart, I have asked Tammy if she finds herself laughing every day at the things Chris will say. She says so much so she has begun drawing comic strips as a reminder of the moments that lift your spirit when least expected.

This didn't surprise me in the least as I have pages and pages of cartoons drawn myself to capture just this very thing.

Happy Anniversary or Happy Cinco de Mayo, what I do know for sure is the finding of each other and the celebration of years as they pass are made all the more special by the joy our children bring to our lives.

Kindergarten Christopher in his mom's homemade dragon costume is the inspiration for this cute as can be Halloween character.

Please do not Pint pattern on Pinterest.

Goody Goody Gum Drops

It is not often you have the opportunity to craft with brown felt at Christmas time unless you are making a herd of reindeer. But brown is such a lovely color, and truly the only color that can be a gingerbread man.

Oh my gosh! What an adorable gingerbread man this brown felt turned out to be. I chose the most wonderful shade of vintage blue buttons and matched thread to them for his eyes. Ol' Blue Eyes has nothing on this Christmas heralder.

Of course if you make a gingerbread, gum drops are soon to follow. Try thinking "gingerbread". See, you automatically next think, "gum drops". They just had to be!

And of course, when you begin thinking of gingerbread and gumdrops, it's only natural your thoughts drift to your favorite board game as a child, Candyland. Well then, you need gumdrop trees to compleet the scene..

So here they all are just as Cute as Can Be and joyful as possible to send Christmas cheer your way!

Right click on image, Save As, Print Full Page Photo

This post just makes me smile. It's so colorful and happy.

Junk in the Trunk

Many individuals first came to know of my blog by eye spying my little Rolodex in a Group on Flickr and then through further investigation discovering my Photostream and then Blog. You do know I love a good mystery, and to me these Rolodex are as though you have opened a trunk long forgotten in the attic to find it filled with junk, the good kind!

This is such a perfectly perfect project to cull together all of those left over Scrapbooking Essentials and Doodads You Didn't Use to create your own craft room chronicle of all the projects you have made.

Wallet sized photographs are the best size to use for this project. Two for the price of a 4x6, I use my second print to make greeting cards or in a binder where I keep all of my patterns.

The company 7 Gypsies makes this Rolodex and includes manila cards which I only use as templates. Over time it is essential to create a card sturdy enough not to bow. I do this by tracing my template onto cardstock and printed papers for the front and back. These combined with photographs glued front and back create a "sandwich" nice and firm.

My Rolodex is like a book with many chapters. With each page turned you may find yourself visiting a favorite holiday or a work station in my craft room. Rule of thumb; however, I do make facing pages "go together" as these two spooky offerings do. Because the tops of the cards have been decorated with something obviously Halloweenish, the backs will as well as their facing pages. The tops of those second pages will not have anything at the tops so I can change subject with the next set of photos.

With go-together pages in place, I love to slip in what I call "tuck ins" which might be a favorite scrapbook feature, a greeting card, a fun vintage advertisement, or in the case here, a favorite childrens Valentine. Anything goes with this project!

I have been sent so many cute as can be What Nots I have saved especially for this project. This little Cracker Jack cowboy and holster are such fun with this very early made camping garland. I love the little marshmallows!

Because the template for your Rolodex is only the size of a playing card, don't be afraid to angle your photographs to create more space. It is such fun devising clever ways to expand the cards by decorating in every which direction. Here I have created an arch over this vintage married couple.

I hope you will be encouraged to look at unexpected items sent to you by friends in a new way. Vintage birthday candle holders,

doll clothes pins, cupcake banners, buttons and trims.

Keep your mind open to all "junk" being treasure, and your own Rolodex will reveal it's pages right before your eyes!